Finally in Phoenix
by laughablelamb
Summary: Thanks to recent financial problems, Edward and his family are forced to relocate from Forks to Phoenix while searching for new opportunities. Edward finds that he is struggling with the change and his status as one of the local high school's newest students; that is until he meets a kindred spirit in one of Phoenix's most beloved teenagers.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: In this story the roles are somewhat reversed as Edward, a boy from an average family who doesn't see himself very clearly, moves from Forks to Phoenix. He finds himself struggling as the new kid at school, that is until he meets Bella, a girl from a very wealthy and rather intimidating background.  
This story is all human and will feature many of the familiar characters and situations from Twilight. I own nothing and all recognizable references are the property of Stephenie Meyer.

Enjoy :)

Chapter 1

Edward stood in front of the mirror staring at his reflection. He turned his head slightly to the left, then to the right and watched as his fingers moved back and forth across his chin. No matter how hard he tried he just couldn't see it, whatever all the fuss was about.  
"Still trying to figure out how Mom and Dad managed this level of perfection the first go 'round," Emmett teased, while gesturing to his overall appearance, "and so royally screwed up the next time?"  
"Something like that." Edward mumbled after another glance, letting his hand fall lifelessly to his side.  
He looked over his shoulder at his older brother, happily sprawled across the little twin bed that was situated across the room from his own and shook his head. Perhaps if he had some of Emmett's confidence or even their little sister, Alice's, outgoing personality he wouldn't mind all of the attention so much. Perhaps then he would appreciate, or even take advantage of the situation. Unfortunately though, he could hardly muster the courage necessary to go down the stairs and face another day as one of the new kids at Central Phoenix High School.

"Come on, Edward! We're gonna be late if you don't get going!"  
He sighed once more realizing he had no choice but to do as his sister was demanding, and went to retrieve his messenger bag from where it sat piled on top of his jacket in the corner. Alice was right, of course. Traffic around here was horrible, and though they lived less than five miles from school they'd need every bit of the half hour they had left before the first bell in order to get there on time.

"Hey Ed," Emmett's unusually serious tone was the only thing that made Edward stop and want to pay attention. "You know, this is a perfect opportunity to start over if you wanted to. Nobody knows you here, so there aren't any expectations, if you get what I'm saying."  
Edward was certain that his brother had meant for the words to be encouraging, but he was instead frustrated by his inability to follow such a suggestion. He stood there briefly contemplating a response, but in the end he just sighed once more and turned away.

Twenty minutes later, Edward and Alice had successfully reached their destination. Having already scanned the heavily populated lot while searching for an appropriate parking space, he refused to look around once he shut the engine off. His rusty old Volvo was now safely sandwiched between a bright red, Chevy pickup truck and a Honda that was covered in enough chrome to sufficiently blind someone. Even though the truck looked like it had just rolled off of a showroom floor and the Honda had a disturbing amount of aftermarket _improvements_, these were still two of the more average looking vehicles available. He would hate to think about how his secondhand Volvo would stand out if it were sitting next to any of the more outrageous, high-end cars littering the rest of the lot; so this was definitely the lesser of two evils in his opinion.

"Bella invited me over after school, so you don't have to wait on me this afternoon." Alice cheerfully informed him as she began gathering up her bag and made to get out.  
"Which one's Bella?"  
Starting over in a new school was a difficult process for Edward. He was never one to embrace change very well and having only one year left before he would go off to college, he hadn't wanted to leave his old school behind. Even though he'd considered his situation there less than ideal, he still felt reasonably comfortable with it. Add to that the fact that he wasn't nearly as outgoing as his sister when it came to meeting new people and one could understand his considerable reluctance to start over at this stage of the game.  
Alice on the other hand was happy for the change. Being the youngest, and the only girl in a family that had lived in such a small town for so long was difficult for her. Though she'd known most of the girls in town her whole life it was hard for her watch their interest in her brothers grow as they'd all gotten older. And likewise it was nearly impossible to get a boy to notice her, or more accurately speak to her in anything other than a friendly manner, when they were all so intimidated by Emmett.

"I introduced you to Bella yesterday at lunch. She's the mayor's daughter—the girl you said sat next to you in Biology afterwards." He remembered Bella now. She was the nice girl. The one who hadn't asked him about every insignificant detail of his first day, who hadn't offered to show him around, or take him out on the weekend. She hadn't winked or giggled or touched him inappropriately. She had instead commented on the novel he was reading with enough insight to make him understand that she had indeed read and enjoyed it; unlike three other girls who had seen him with it earlier in the day and faked interest in order to impress him. She was also the girl who'd spent the rest of their lunch hour engaging Alice—offering to help with her math assignment before patiently listening to his little sister babble on about a million other random topics. She was indeed the only girl he hadn't minded meeting yesterday.

"Will you need a ride home from her place later?" Edward asked, genuinely pleased that of all the people Alice had met so far, Bella seemed to be the one she was most eager to befriend.  
"Doubt it. She has her own car and we'll be out shopping this afternoon. I'm sure she can just drop me off afterwards."  
Edward didn't have a chance to protest. Not that he was looking for a reason to have to chauffeur his sister around town this afternoon, but he hated the idea of Bella—the mayor's daughter—seeing their shabby little home before she had the chance to really understand their situation.

It wasn't as though he was ashamed, and Edward didn't blame his parents one bit for their financial misfortunes. They were good hardworking people who'd fallen on hard times thanks to the present economy. His mother had been without work for nearly a year and when his father had lost his position with the local hospital last month they'd ultimately been forced to seek other opportunities. All the same he knew how others might perceive their current lifestyle. Back home in Forks, Washington they were an average, working family. They had an average house, average cars, and for the most part no one had looked down on them when they'd had to start making do with less and less. Here in a place as big as Phoenix however, their situation would place them well below the average standard of living; and with no one around who knew them well enough to understand that it hadn't always been this way, he had to wonder what sort of rumors would begin plaguing them and when.

He shouldn't worry about it though. His parents were both working now. Emmett was due to start his first semester at the University this spring and with any luck his scholarship would come through by then, allowing him to find a place of his own. But until then, at least he was contributing as well, thanks to his new part time job at a nearby gym.

"Morning, Edward." He'd barely straightened to his full height, and distracted as he was by his thoughts he'd jumped at the sound of her voice. It was Bella, but it would appear that Alice had already monopolized her attention by the time he'd noticed.  
"Hi." He offered softly, just to be polite, before turning towards the main building in hopes of making it to his locker and subsequent class without incident.

"Hey you." _No such luck_.  
He looked up again but his mind was blank now. Although he'd recalled Bella with very little prompting, he was at a complete loss over who this girl was. She was obviously one of many who'd shown him a tremendous amount of attention the day before, but he'd been trying his best to avoid eye contact with most of them.  
"Hi." It came out sounding like a question.  
"Hey Lauren, have you seen Tyler this morning? He was looking for you." It was Bella again, _bless her_.  
She and Alice were now walking together towards the same building that Edward had been headed for. Bella didn't wait for Lauren to respond, but Edward was grateful to note that she no longer seemed interested in whatever had prompted her to approach him this morning. Apparently Tyler was more important, and that was fine by him.

"Edward Cullen…It's me, Jessica, Jessica Stanley. We have third period together." _Oh for the love of God_.  
Edward shoved his hands into his pockets and started walking after a brief nod to acknowledge the girl. Who would have thought that in a school this large the arrival of two new students would be such an event, Edward had contemplated more than once over the past twenty-four hours.  
"I know you've only been here for one day…well almost two," _Did she really just giggle over that?_ "but anyway there's this study group at my house and well, it's really just me and a couple of…"  
"Jess!" It wasn't Bella this time but whoever it was had his thanks.  
He picked up his pace, certain that he could use the excuse of the first bell, which would be sounding in a matter of seconds, as a reasonable need to escape this one.  
"So? What do you say?"  
"I'm sorry?" He hadn't even noticed her catch up to him, which was no small feat considering he was nearly a foot taller than her.  
"Study group. At my house."  
"Oh, sorry. I can't. I'm starting a new job after school this week." He shrugged. It was an excuse. He would be getting a job as soon as he was able, but he hadn't found the opportunity to look for anything yet. For now his days were occupied doing repair projects around the house, but no one needed to know that.

"Well, consider it an open invitation." Jessica continued without hesitation. He nodded again but refused to speak, wondering the whole time how bad it would be if he were to ditch third period on only his second day of school.

And so that's how his day went. In first period he was reintroduced to two girls who had spoken to him the day before and one that he'd not met. In his second class of the day he was made to endure Lauren again, who'd apparently forgotten all about Tyler, along with her friend Katie. Jessica occupied every free moment of the third. And during fourth period he'd lost count of how many suggestive smiles had come his way. He was seriously looking forward to lunch by then; not only because he'd skipped breakfast in favor of being on time, but because he'd be able to find Alice and have her run interference for him—at least for a little while. Just one hour of peace before being thrown back into the madness, that's all he was asking for.

"How's your day been?" Alice asked pleasantly as he flopped into the empty chair next to her.  
"Fine." He grunted while pulling out his book and the sandwich he'd brought from home.  
Alice studied her brother for a second and didn't know what to say. He had always been a bit quiet and reserved. He was polite and friendly enough—outgoing when he wanted to be, but she and Emmett's personalities generally seemed to overshadow him in many ways. She knew that he hadn't been looking forward to the move, and though she was happy to embrace the change it appeared that he was actually struggling with this far more than she'd realized. "What's wrong, Edward?" she asked in all seriousness. It wasn't out of pity that she wondered and she wasn't upset with him for struggling. She just wanted to know what was going on and if she could help in any way. Edward understood why she would want to know, but it was still difficult to be honest.

"Let's just say I feel like a shiny new toy that's been dropped into a daycare full of spoiled little girls."  
"Wouldn't Emmett be jealous." Alice chuckled.  
Edward rolled his eyes at that and opened his book. Alice was right, of course. Emmett would be eating up all of the attention, but for Edward it was a difficult thing to accept. He wasn't interested in the type of commitment an actual relationship would require and he was far too sensitive to think that he could submit to anything more casual and not feel some type of regret afterwards. He was never opposed to friendship, but for the past four years it had been nearly impossible to find a girl that would be satisfied with just that.

"Hey, either of you want a soda? The machine spit out an extra one." Bella sat a Coke down on the table between them and proceeded to take the seat across from Alice.  
"Go for it Edward, you know how caffeine and me don't mix." Alice laughed nudging the drink in her brother's direction.  
"Hmm?" he wondered looking up in confusion. He'd completely missed Bella's arrival and the fact that there was some sort of conversation underway.  
"I'm surprised you're not done yet." Bella smiled pleasantly when she saw the color on his cheeks, having been surprised by her presence.  
He hesitated for a moment to regain his composure, not wanting to sound like an idiot. It was obvious that she'd noticed the book he was reading once again.

"I umm, I haven't had a lot of free time…lately." He flipped the novel closed and set it aside so that he could pay better attention to his surroundings.  
He'd rather concentrate on eating his lunch without the book anyway. True enough, he was enjoying the story but it was little more than a convenient way to avoid unwanted conversation right now. With Alice and Bella around it was probably safe to do without the prop for at least a few minutes. Besides, Bella seemed like a nice girl—a good friend in the making for his little sister. He should probably avoid anything that would make him seem rude when she was around—for Alice's sake, of course.

He soon found that though he was trying to pay attention now, his mind was busy attempting to wander back towards his previous thoughts without his permission. When he'd looked up a second time he noticed that Bella was busy dissecting her taco salad even though she was still going on about what a good book he was reading. And that was all it had taken.

"Well, you need to hurry up. Nobody around here has even heard of that book, much less read it, and I can't wait to talk to someone who has."  
Her enthusiasm was genuine and Edward found himself smiling and asking if she'd been able to get the sequel yet.  
"No." _She's adorable when she pouts that way_, he thought.  
"Oh hey, we could totally stop by the bookstore on our way to the mall." She immediately suggested to Alice, who was smiling despite herself.

"Would you like to come with us?" Edward knew that the offer had come as an afterthought, Bella obviously not wanting to seem rude by excluding him. Still his heart unexpectedly jumped at the idea—something he never would have expected.

He realized then that Bella was a nice girl, and even better, she didn't really seem interested in him in the usual way. She was the first girl he'd actually felt some need to converse with in quite a while, so perhaps if he was friendly towards her then other girls might assume that he was off the market…but then again this was Bella. She wasn't someone he could use, no matter how innocent his intentions may be. And suppose she got the wrong impression. Would she be mad at him? Would she take it out on Alice? Start spreading rumors?  
No, it wasn't worth the risk. Bella was completely out of the question. She was likely to become a good friend to his sister, but the more awkward problem in his mind was her elevated status. She was the mayor's daughter after all.

_Still_…

Edward glanced over at Alice trying to gage what his answer should be. She shrugged slightly but with a grin that told him it was perfectly fine if he wanted to tag along. He sort of wanted to go, but in the end he thought better of it. There was very little he could offer someone like Bella, even if he was interested. _Which I'm not_, he quickly convinced himself.

"Nah, I've got some stuff to do this afternoon. And Alice has seriously been deprived of her girl time lately; wouldn't want to intrude on that."

Bella let him off the hook without a fight and went on to ask Alice about the assignment their English teacher had been discussing the day before. Edward was glad for the change of subject and hurried through the rest of his food.

"I'm gonna go." he smiled after a while, taking his things and the soda that both Alice and Bella had encouraged him to have after it had sat unopened for the better part of their lunch period.  
He really hadn't meant to encroach on any of Alice and Bella's time together so he was determined to leave them alone now that he'd eaten and managed to gain a much better outlook on the day. Talking with Bella and Alice had been just what he'd needed. He realized now that he needed to stop feeling sorry for himself and find a few friends, someone worthy of talking to, maybe even a few people to hang out with. There was that guy Ben in his Trig class…maybe he'd say hi to him again today. He seemed like a nice, normal sort of person. And his girlfriend, Angela; he wondered if Alice had met her yet. She reminded him a little bit of Bella, only not as talkative. She seemed nice though, just not as pretty…  
Edward stopped and shook his head. He was going to have to be careful around Bella. She was just the type of girl he could find himself being interested in, and the type of girl he could never have.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thanks to all who've found this story and who seem to be enjoying!

Chapter 2

"So, first Biology and now lunch, I'm impressed."

"Excuse me?"  
Edward had no idea what to make of the random comment this boy, he believed his name was Mike, had greeted him with as he was exiting the locker room after gym class.

"Princess Swan. I always thought any form of male company or conversation was beneath Her Highness."

"Haha, right? I mean Bella is a cool chick and all, but she's got ice in her veins, yo. Won't even look at a dude."  
This one he knew. His name was Eric. There wasn't anything too special about the guy; nothing that would make Edward really remember him, except of course for his ridiculous way of speaking.

"She was just hanging out with my sister." he shrugged.  
He didn't appreciate the way these two were obviously making assumptions, and he was even more disturbed by the way they spoke about Bella, as if she was some sort of standoffish snob. He hadn't gotten any sort of negative vibe from her at all. Still, it wouldn't be wise to defend her, and he'd certainly never gloat over some sort of fabricated achievement.

"Whatever man, I saw her bring you that soda." Edward caught a friendly elbow in his ribs for the attempted denial.  
He knew how this was supposed to work of course. If a guy, any guy, got the hot girl that everyone wanted but no one seemed capable of landing, then you were required to talk. It was like a professional courtesy or something. You had to spill the secret and let everyone else in on what they'd been doing wrong, what you did right—or at the very least you were expected to give up some graphic details concerning the poor girl's anatomy.  
For Edward this was possibly the only thing that could be worse than having ninety percent of the school's female population trying to introduce themselves to you. The school playboy and his sidekick had deemed him worthy…_kill me now._

"Look guys, I gotta get home." He didn't offer an explanation as to why, and he didn't hesitate to walk away. He might not want to deal with his growing horde of female admirers. He might even be looking for a convenient way to curb their misplaced eagerness, but he'd never want to associate himself with a guy like Mike in order to accomplish it. He was too much of a gentleman for that.

"Check it out; they're even parking next to one another already."  
Edward was thankful that the sound of Mike's comment had come from at least twenty feet away, signaling that he and Eric had allowed him to escape, but he was still surprised to hear what had been said. He looked up as he approached his car and sure enough he was still parked between that ridiculous Honda and the red pickup truck he'd located this morning.  
Seems Bella was full of even more surprises than he'd anticipated.

"Sure you don't want to come?" Alice invited, seeing his approach and more importantly the awed expression he wore.

He shook his head, more so because he was trying to get over the fact that Bella was busy climbing behind the wheel of an enormous truck, than to answer his sister's question, but it still got the point across.  
Bella noticed the look and smiled for him. It wasn't the first time a guy was surprised by her choice of vehicle, but for some reason Edward's reaction didn't annoy her. It wasn't the usual, 'what the hell,' but more of a 'wow,' and that she could appreciate.

Edward found that he was still shaking his head as he drove home, and without Alice sitting beside him talking incessantly about everything imaginable he found himself actually enjoying a moment alone and some time to really think.  
Today hadn't been as awful as he'd anticipated. Sure he'd had to deal with the girls and the unwanted conversations, but for some reason he was beginning to feel like things were going to be okay. He could deal with this and find a way to survive until graduation. As long as Bella continued to smile at him like that. And agreed to sit with him at lunch, and talk about books; and share his table in biology, making little comments under her breath about how inept their teacher was.

"I am so screwed." He sighed aloud, laughing a bit at the predicament he now found himself in.  
Just this morning he was prepared to trudge through the remainder of the school year, ignoring people and keeping to himself until the torture was over. But what a difference a few hours and a handful of friendly smiles could make.

As freeing as this realization should have been, Edward knew that his outlook on relationships hadn't changed exactly. He still had concerns about the considerable differences between himself and someone like Bella. And he worried that showing some type of interest in one of Alice's friends might seem a bit strange. Still, for every argument he managed to come up with as to why this would never work out well, he had a dozen more waiting to tell him why he needed to stop being such a fool. It wasn't as if he was prepared to ask Bella out, or even indicate that he might find her appealing in some way, but what he could do was stop being so morose all of the time. And if he wanted to occasionally pursue a friendly conversation with a certain someone, so be it.  
With that in mind he actually allowed himself a smile as he pulled into the driveway of his family's new home, something he'd stubbornly refused to do up until now.

Overall the house wasn't much different than any other on the block aside from some disrepair and neglect, but the bigger issue was that it just wasn't what he was use to. Back in Forks they'd had an equally simple house but there was a personality about it that Edward couldn't see here. The color was all wrong, the texture too angular and harsh. There were no trees, or grass for that matter; just a few scrubby little bushes that back home would have probably been mistaken for dead.  
And if the appearance alone wasn't enough, the fact that he'd needed a jacket this morning when he'd left for school but now he could feel himself starting to sweat from the relentless sunlight filtering in through the windshield was beginning to grate on his nerves.  
But all of that didn't really matter; he could see that now. The house, the city, the climate, they were just details. Details that shouldn't really make any difference. What should matter is the look his mother had as she walked out of the front door, bag over her shoulder and a spring in her step, ready for work.

"Gotta run, darling. Dinner's all set and in the fridge. Just be sure everyone saves some for Alice, in case she doesn't have a chance to eat while she's out."

Edward realized that he was actually grinning as he got out of the car. He'd always understood the logic behind his parents' decision to move, but unfortunately, while he'd been busy moping around in his own little bubble of disappointment, he'd missed out on just how much everyone else was benefiting from the change. How much better things could really be.  
He could hardly belive that he'd somehow forgotten how frustrated his mother had always seemed when he'd come home from school to find her looking over the classified ads or rewriting her resume for the hundredth time. He'd forgotten how sad she would look when they would all sit down to eat dinner and she'd have to present them with yet another round of leftovers. Now, seeing her so _alive,_ it was heartbreaking to recall the memory.

"Have a great night, Mom." He wished sincerely as he held the door, waiting for her to settle into the seat he'd just vacated.  
He could see his mother hesitate for a moment and he knew why. He could hear the same change in his voice that she had, but right now there was no time to explain. Instead he just shrugged a bit and found that he was still grinning as he closed the door and headed inside.

Edward looked around the space while he set his messenger bag down and walked towards the kitchen. He recalled the way he'd felt yesterday, when he'd had to pass his car off to his mom for the first time so that she could go to work just after he got home from school. He'd felt thoroughly trapped, surrounded by unfamiliar walls with no escape. He'd noticed within the space of an hour every nick in every wall, every bit of peeling paint, every blemish in the carpet or scuff on the linoleum. He'd determined within the space of that hour that this place was awful and he could no longer see any of the potential his parents had been going on about as they'd toured the home initially. Now he just felt terrible for being so selfish and closed-minded. There was nothing wrong with this place, it just needed a some...okay, a lot of work.

Glancing briefly at the four plates meticulously arranged and wrapped in the refrigerator, Edward felt a warmth take over somewhere inside. Seeing his mother excited about something again, seeing her take such pride in preparing something as simple as a chicken dinner before rushing out to greet him so that she could happily climb into his rusty old car and head off for the evening shift at a call center was incredible.  
If he thought hard about it he could remember the way things use to be, and all that he'd taken for granted back when he was younger and his parents seemed to be doing just fine. Back when no one really believed that a secretary who'd held her position in the same office for twelve years could be laid off; or that a man who'd been a fixture in the same hospital since he'd begun volunteering there as a high school student would be told that his services were no longer needed. He remembered feeling content. He'd always known people with bigger, nicer houses, newer cars; he had friends whose parents had more prestigious careers than his, but he'd never cared about any of those things. And he never remembered looking around his childhood home and cringing at the lack of square footage or the condition of the roof. He never worried if the livingroom needed new paint or if the kitchen would be considered outdated. He recalled instead focusing on the fact that he had a happy family, filled with love and support. He remembered his mother smiling and laughing and his father having a sense of confidence and purpose. He could easily recall a happier more carefree time, but what he couldn't recall was when exactly that had all gone away.  
He still remembered the date that his mother had lost her job of course, but that wasn't it. There had remained a sense of optimism about the family for a long time after. It was only now that Edward finally realized that he'd missed something along the way. He'd been so focused on his own situation and how he was personally affected by the changes that were forced upon his parents that he'd not seen just how much everyone else was suffering.

Disappointment was a feeling that he had become all too familiar with lately, but now Edward's disappointment made him realize that he needed to think about more than himself.

Newly motivated, Edward grabbed a glass of water and headed upstairs to change clothes and get started on one of the many projects he and his father had discussed the night before, while there was still enough daylight to work with.  
The whole family had spent their first weekend here cleaning and moving their minimal possessions into the house. Now Edward was tasked with painting and repairing some of the more obvious defects, while everyone else was getting started with their new jobs this week. On the weekend he could expect his father and Emmett to take over, but he'd never begrudged the assignment.  
Initially he'd been looking forward to whatever improvements he could contribute towards making the house look better. Now he was just excited to help his family out in any way he was able. And as an added bonus, Edward found that working alone was a great opportunity to think.

He'd had a lot on his mind lately, but today he'd come to the conclusion that he was focusing on the wrong things. His personal feelings had been clouding his ability to sympathize with the rest of his family. If he was honest with himself, he knew exactly why he felt the way he did-why he'd fallen into such a depressed state. Emmett had even alluded to it this morning, hadn't he. He'd been trying to tell him something important, but at the time Edward hadn't wanted to think about it. Now with the memory so close to the surface, Edward was finally able to see that his brother might actually be right.

A little over a year ago Edward hadn't been so focused on money or his family's lack of it. Back then he was just living the normal life of a teenager, same as all of his friends. Though he didn't necessary understand it, it wasn't an exaggeration to say that he had basically had his pick of any woman he could possibly want since the onset of puberty and the growth spurt that had left him only a few inches shorter than his older brother. Despite that, Edward had never met a girl that really appealed to him.  
_Until now_, his conscience reminded him rather smugly.  
Alice blamed his lack of interest on them living in such a small town for so long. It made sense that he would feel awkward if he were to suddenly develop feelings for a girl that he'd known his whole life and probably considered a friend. His mother on the other hand just chalked it up to him having higher standards than most boys his age; something that he could tell she was quite proud of, whether it was actually the truth or not. And of course his father didn't seem to think it mattered much. He was convinced that teenaged relationships weren't meant to be long-term under most circumstances anyway. There were too many variables these days that could complicate an individual's situation, making it nearly impossible for two young people to be expected to make it through high school together, much less beyond. And in truth, Edward never really cared that his family had their own opinions about why he preferred to be alone; he could understand why they each felt as they did.  
But then there was Emmett. His theory about Edward's self-imposed bachelorhood was simpler than the others' and generally involved words his mother wouldn't be pleased to hear, but Edward wasn't disturbed by his brother's opinion either. What did bother him was the fact that his assessment of the situation was probably the most accurate. He wasn't turned off by women or completely immune to their charms, but he was afraid. And not of a relationship per se, but more so of what sort of criticism he'd be opening himself up to if he were to allow someone to get too close. He hadn't always felt that way, but experiences tend to change a person's opinion rather quickly.

It was when Edward had turned sixteen that he finally found the courage to ask a girl out for the first time. He'd had no shortage of opportunities over the two years prior, but the real reason he'd never wanted to date back then was that he'd never felt comfortable with the idea of going out with someone when he'd have to rely on other people to make it happen.  
Forks was a tiny town with very little to do besides hang out at the diner or drive down to the nearby beach. Anyone who really wanted to go out had to travel over to Port Angeles, nearly an hour away; and if you didn't have a license you'd be stuck tagging along with a group of friends who could drive, or heaven forbid, you had to rely on your parents to chauffeur you and your date around.  
Tanya had been after him from the moment he'd started to look more like a man than a boy, and now that he had a driver's license and Emmett's permission to borrow his car for the weekend, Edward was finally willing to agree that maybe they should go out sometime. Just like every other girl in Forks, he'd known her since they were in kindergarten, but unlike many of the others they'd never been close. He figured since they weren't exactly friends maybe it wouldn't be so weird. She was certainly pretty enough and more than willing, based on her flirtations over the six months prior, so he was prepared to finally give this dating thing a shot.

Unfortunately their short-lived relationship had turned into one disaster after another. They'd gone to a moderately priced restaurant for dinner and Tanya made a point of ordering the most expensive thing on the menu. Edward being a gentleman was prepared to pay for everything and did so without saying a word, but after the meal, tickets to a movie, and having to fill up Emmett's car once they got back, he was completely broke. It was no small challenge having to explain his lack of finances over the next three weeks as Tanya wondered and complained about why they weren't going back to Port Angeles, and why they couldn't go see the new movie that was coming out.  
To make matters worse he'd held her hand and walked her to her door after their first date. He said he'd had a nice time and kissed her on her cheek before saying goodnight, as he was under the impression one should. Tanya on the other hand had taken it to mean that she could touch and kiss him whenever she felt like it from then on.  
The following Monday when he'd gotten out of Emmett's car at school he was all but attacked. Despite the shock of her sudden appearance and her forward approach Edward hadn't necessarily minded. There was something thrilling about a girl throwing their arms around your neck and pressing their mouth so firmly against your own after all. What bothered Edward however was the fact that by lunch he and Tanya were exclusive. By the end of the day he'd apparently said I love you, and by the end of the week they'd already had sex—according to the population of Forks High School that is.

Edward couldn't understand how or why things had gotten so blown out of proportion so quickly, but according to Tanya people talk, and gossip made the world go around. It was just because they were the new couple in town. But little did he know that Tanya was the one gossiping all along.

Edward could only tolerate the situation for about a month before he had to get rude about it and demand that she leave him alone. He'd finally discovered that she was the one spreading rumors, but not before he'd witnessed her giving Alice a hard time about a sweater she'd decided to wear to school for a second time in the same week. There was one pitiful attempt at an apology followed by another day where she tried to tempt him in every possible way. When Edward had thoroughly ignored her, Tanya resorted to what she did best. She started telling lies.

It was from that moment on that Edward had begun to shut down in a sense. He'd always had reservations about dating and relationships, and with such a terrible experience validating his fears in many ways it was suddenly more apparent than ever that he'd been right about a lot of things. Or so he thought.

Emmett had tried to cheer him up initially, encouraging him to take advantage of his new reputation, and had the rumors only been about his considerable talent and ability to please a girl he might have been able to. Unfortunately though, thanks to the way in which he'd had to end their supposed love affair, his reputation now included embarrassingly accurate information about his family and their hardships.

He hadn't really trusted Tanya, but thanks to her insistence she had been to his house and had seen that many of their basic belongings were secondhand in some cases, or missing altogether in others. He hadn't thought much of it at the time, but in retrospect he could see how disturbed she was by his family's situation and his indifference to it all. Still, he never anticipated that she could be so cruel.  
She was one of the few who knew that Emmett wasn't preparing for college as most of the town believed, but working in nearby Sequim instead. He had been awarded a partial football scholarship and additional assistance for his academics but in the end their parents didn't have enough to pay the balance of what it would cost to get him set up for his freshman year at a major university. That seemed so long ago now, but unfortunately Emmett was still waiting for his opportunity to go to school. He'd been working and saving up on his own, but he had a big heart and most of the time whenever it was needed his college fund became what kept the lights on for another month or even food on the table during recent times. Because of this Tanya had often made comments about how his father could do better, and falsely speculated why Emmett was really _avoiding_ college. Edward didn't realized at the time that her words weren't just random thoughts. She really looked down on their situation. And worst of all, she never hesitated to talk about it when it was all over.  
It was then that Edward had started to care-perhaps too much, and about all of the wrong things. Appearances became important. And though he'd never gone so far as to resent his parents or blame them for any of the problems they now faced, he did find it easier to avoid anything that might remind him of how bad things had gotten. And more often than not that boiled down to avoiding pretty much everything.

Things were starting to look up however, and as much as Edward would have preferred to stay in Forks to finish out his last year of high school without the added stress of moving and meeting new people, he now understood what a great opportunity this was for everyone else in his family. His parents had both found jobs they seemed excited about. Alice had a whole new group of people to socialize with, not to mention the wonderful advantages a big city could offer for someone so in love with all things trendy and modern. And of course Emmett had already met with the coaching staff and recruiters at the local college, who seemed eager to get him enrolled as soon as possible so that he'd be available to the football team next fall. Finally able to see the many benefits of his current situation and understanding that the reputation Tanya had saddled him with back in Forks wouldn't be able to plague him here, Edward was starting to think in terms of a bigger picture.

While he was comfortable back home, understanding who he could and couldn't trust, he knew that he and his family would never be able to escape the negative opinions that so many had developed there; likewise he'd also never be freed from the guilt he felt, believing that he was ultimately responsible for placing them under such scrutiny by allowing Tanya access to their struggles.  
It was a hard pill to swallow for sure, but with a new outlook and a plan to show his family that he was now onboard and prepared to help make this move a success Edward was feeling so much better about it all.

So thoroughly absorbed in his thoughts, it was hard to believe that he hadn't even noticed the time pass nor the extent of the work he'd been able to accomplish. It was getting late and he was almost out of daylight, but he could still see that the entire front of the house was wearing a new coat of paint, and it didn't look half bad. He was already making plans to paint the shutters and get them rehung the next day, and with any luck Emmett would be free on Friday to help out with the windows. If all went well, by the end of next week the exterior of the house would look as close to new as they could make it.

While admiring his work and looking forward to the next several days ahead of him, Edward noticed headlights sweep across the house making him turn slightly to see who was coming home. Behind the glare of the lights he quickly recognized that bright red truck of Bella's and became thoroughly self-conscious in an instant. For all of his positive thinking today he'd still not been looking forward to the idea of Bella seeing where they lived, and to make matters worse here he was standing out front covered in paint and sweat like a hired hand. _So much for keeping a few secrets_.

"Hey, the house looks awesome! Did you do all of this today?" His sister enthused before he could think of an excuse or means of escape.  
He might have responded in some way, but he didn't have it in him to speak suddenly as Bella climbed out of the truck to join them there on the driveway.

Avoiding eye contact as much as possible he tried to assess her reaction, but all he could see was that now familiar smile of hers. He smiled timidly in return as a way to acknowledge her.

"You have been busy." She concluded having a good look at the house.

Her expression never faltered and Edward took a breath finally as Alice went on talking about all the planned improvements and what a great investment this house was turning out to be, as if this was all a part of some big money-making scheme his parents had come up with.

"This is a great part of town. I think you guys are going to love it here." She nodded in agreement.

"So, I've gotta get back for dinner, but I got you a little something while we were out." She said after a moment.  
It took another minute before Edward realized that Bella was actually speaking to him and holding out a small shopping bag.  
"Alice didn't think you'd mind." She added after a second, while Edward stood there trying to wrap his head around why she would think to buy him something.

He finally took the package and glanced inside, understanding immediately. Carefully wiping his hand on his jeans and using the bag to make sure he didn't get any paint or dirt on the cover, Edward smiled at the next book in the series he was reading.

"I guess I have to hurry up and finish for real now."

"If you catch up, I'll come help paint this weekend." She bargained cheerfully as she walked back to the truck with a wave for Alice.

He bobbled the book slightly while trying to get a hand free to wave back, and looked over indignantly at Alice who was trying very unsuccessfully not to laugh.

"I love you, Edward." Was all she said reaching over to take his gift and head inside so that he could clean up.

"What's that suppose to mean?" He called after her, looking back and forth between her and Bella's receding taillights.

She stopped at the door and turned to face her brother. He looked a mess. His shirt was streaked with paint and nearly soaked through with perspiration. His face, arms and even his hair had been just as thoroughly affected, but he was adorable anyway.

"Bella's cool, you know. She's not going to hold anything against us-not like some people..."

During her pause he understood. Just like Edward, Alice had been affected by the opinions of other people, and she hadn't forgotten how awful it had been putting up with Tanya and her lies back then. She knew that it had hurt Edward, but she also thought it was silly for him to be so hung up on the poor choices of one insignificant girl.

"Hey," Edward hesitated briefly looking for the right words. He owed it to his family to be more involved. To care more. And he had to start the only way he knew how. "I'm really sorry for being...I'm sorry for everything."

"It's gonna be good here, Edward. And don't apologize for being upset by all this. It sucks. But we're fine and this is as good a place as any to get back on our feet. All of us."

"I'm starting to get that." He chuckled confidently, his new outlook easily reaffirmed by her support.

Turning away to clean up the mess he'd made, Edward started looking forward to the next day. He wanted to go to school in the morning and see Bella climb out of that truck again and listen to her laugh and chat with Alice. He wanted to be present for a change and see what all this new school and these new people had to offer. But for now he had a few more things to take care of before then. He had a shower to take and a chicken dinner to enjoy. There were a few more apologies to give once the rest of his family got home; and then he had a bit of reading to do.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: And just when we thought things were looking up for Edward...

Chapter 3

"I never saw it coming! I was convinced right from the start that Rebecca was guilty."

"I only thought about Livingston in passing and completely dismissed it once the inspector showed up and started asking questions. Everything Rebecca said made her seem so involved, you know, she totally knew too much."

"I still say that there's got to be a twist coming in the next book, like maybe he didn't act alone."

"You may be right."

Edward hesitated for a second and looked down to where his hands were now nervously fidgeting with a plastic spoon that had been sitting on the table in front of him and grinned through his embarrassment. He'd just caught himself winking at Bella for some reason as they sat there going back and forth about the surprise ending of the story they'd both recently read. He knew that his sister was sitting here as well, following this discussion between he and Bella almost as if she were watching a tennis match, but apparently that wasn't enough to quell his enthusiasm. He'd not felt this comfortable nor excited while talking to a girl about anything in, well, pretty much ever. Now he was suddenly aware that somewhere along the way he'd apparently started to flirt with her.

Cautiously checking to see if anyone else had noticed, Edward looked first at Bella and then towards his sister. Fortunately Bella was already going on about another theory she'd come up with as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred. Alice on the other hand was looking right at him with a wide-eyed grin that said she'd definitely noticed. He rolled is eyes at her silly expression and smiled a little at how amused she seemed before refocusing his attention on the beautiful girl across the table from him.

He couldn't blame Alice after all, since even he was just as shocked at his behavior. He'd never really shown any outward interest in a girl before, and certainly not in front of anyone. Even while he was dating Tanya he'd never felt a need to attract her attention in such a way. Of course it wasn't exactly his intention to express that kind of interest today either; however as luck would have it, Bella had either missed his little slip-up or she was doing a wonderful job of ignoring it. Whatever the case he was glad that no one seemed prepared to make a big deal out of it, especially since he was still convinced that he no business pursuing a girl like her in the first place. If he could just hang out with her at school like this and enjoy her company from time to time he'd be perfectly happy with that.

_Yeah right, you just referred to her as beautiful_.

He wanted to roll his eyes again, this time at his own internal commentary, but Bella was talking to Alice now and the subject matter drew his undivided attention.

"So this weekend, we're going to paint right? I talked to my dad last night and he's fine if I skip that benefit thing I was telling you about. It's more of an adult get together anyway."

"Absolutely, if you're sure you don't mind putting up with the family. Mom and Dad are pretty cool about things but," Alice chuckled a bit as she saw by Edward's expression that he was in the midst of sudden mood swing. "I've got another brother who's even creepier than this one."

"Come on Alice, Edward's not creepy." Bella laughed, reaching out to lightly pat his forearm as if he would need her reassurance that she didn't think of him that way.

Speechless over not only the conversation that was taking place and what it implied, but also because of Bella's gesture, Edward sat there trying to control any sort of visible reaction, which basically meant he was attempting to keep his jaw up off of the table. He had been certain that Bella's comment last night about helping this weekend wasn't an actual offer. But now he wasn't sure what was going on. Was she really going to be at their house on Saturday? Painting?  
_With Emmett._  
He groaned internally. Half a second ago he was about to start obsessing over what, if anything, her willingness to touch him might signify, though his brain stubbornly refused the idea that she might be flirting with him too. Either way now all he could think about was Bella seeing their house again, this time with the aid of daylight; and to make matters worse she'd also get to meet the most outspoken member of his family-heaven help him if he made the mistake of being too friendly towards Bella in his presence.

"I may not be, but Alice is right, Emmett can be a little...different." His comment got a laugh out of both girls and Bella seemed even more eager now than she was a moment ago.

"In my world different is a welcomed change." He was informed.

Any further debate was cut short by the sound of the bell ending their lunch period and before he knew it Alice was off to her history class, leaving he and Bella to make their towards Biology together.

He hadn't counted on that either. Yesterday he'd left long before the bell and was already seated in the biology lab for a few minutes before she'd arrived. And the day before that he'd been studiously ignoring or avoiding nearly everything. Now he was very aware that he had a thousand nerves suddenly standing at attention-the mere thought of walking to class with her about the induce a heart attack.

"So when do you plan to get started with the new book? I was dying last night to read at least some of it, but I didn't want to get too far ahead."

Bella had picked up their earlier conversation right where they'd left off, which seemed like a blessing for Edward. At least while she was busy talking he had a moment to try and calm himself mentally. He knew that there was no need to panick over any of this. They were just two classmates discussing a book, who just so happen to be heading in the same direction. Even if they weren't chatting as they made their way to the next class there was no way to avoid going in the same direction. Better to seem friendly and normal, than to abandon her like some kind of socially awkward freak.

"No idea. It was all I could do to finish the last one so quickly." He managed to answer, thankfully without betraying his sudden bout of anxiety.

Bella was walking next to him now as they started to weave their way through the crowded hallways, which made him wonder what this must look like to everyone else. She was a good deal shorter than him so he kept having to lean in to hear what she was saying as she kept going on about the book and how impressed she was with his diligent reading despite having so much else to do the day before. Their proximity was just out of necessity but he still felt like they were sharing some sort of personal space. Nervous as he was to be with Bella like this, presenting such an intimate picture to any passerby, and more importantly without the aid of his sister tagging along, he was still pleased that she wanted to talk to him. It didn't seem like just a courtesy extended to the new kid, or someone who was tolerating her friend's brother for the sake of seeming pleasant. She could have completely dropped the subject and wandered off or engaged someone else the moment lunch had ended, but here she was still talking to him.

Caught up in his own pondering it was no wonder that he stumbled slightly when someone unexpectedly bumped into him from behind. "Just hanging out with my sister, my ass." He heard teasingly mumbled from whoever it was that had passed by. He looked up and found Mike wandering off towards his seat near the front of their class. Choosing to ignore the interruption he indicated that Bella should lead the way once inside the room, hoping she hadn't overheard anything.

"Thanks."  
_  
Dammit._

He'd done it again. The only saving grace this time was that their shared table was in the back of the class and it wasn't likely that anyone would notice that he'd just pulled Bella's stool out for her while silently offering to take her jacket so that he could hang it and their bags on the rack behind them. He could probably blame it on his preoccupation with Mike, or any one of the dozen or so butterflies buzzing around in his belly, but Edward didn't have it within him to care much once Bella had assured him it was okay.

"You might actually be a little creepy after all." She teased, playfully bumping his shoulder with her own as he took the seat beside her. "An actual living, breathing gentleman. Who would've guessed?"

"I blame, Alice." He jokingly waved off the compliment as he started to feel the heat crawling up his neck. He could only imagine how red he'd be if they didn't change the subject.

_Well, at least she's not entirely freaked out_.

He glanced sideways and watched her as she went about the business of arranging her textbook and binder and figured what the hell. He'd already experienced just about every emotion he could name over the past fifteen minutes, so why not go ahead and torture himself a little more.

"So, have you ever done any painting before?" He inquired, while rhythmically tapping his pen against the table.

He was looking for a safe topic other than the book they'd been chatting about, and at the same time he was hoping for something that might give him a bit more insight into her motivations for offering to help, if there were any.

Somewhat mesmerized by her smile and movement as she tucked her hair behind her right ear before turning towards him, Edward was briefly drawn to the sight of her ear piercings-something he'd not noticed before.

"A little. Last summer my mom's charity of choice was Habitat so there were a lot of weekends doing all sorts of stuff like that. Still can't hammer in a nail straight, but I did alright at the painting."

Edward felt his heart drop into his stomach. The word charity and Bella's casual use of it had caught him off guard. He wasn't sure why he hadn't been expecting something like that or more importantly why it should matter, but it bothered him to a degree he'd not counted on. Thankfully Mr. Banner saved him from having to respond by calling the class to order, so he took a breath and managed a tight smile for Bella before turning towards the front of the room.

He didn't really understand the depth of his disappointment. He'd known all along that he and Bella were from very different worlds; unfortunately he hadn't prepared himself for the moment that he'd really see that difference. Here he was sitting next to a beautiful girl, who was interesting and intelligent and all he could see suddenly was the mayor's daughter. She was the girl with the brand new pick up truck and a carat's worth of sapphires in her ears. The one who spent her summers volunteering to help the less fortunate instead of having to work for gas money and savings for college.

He was already mourning the loss of the girl he'd seen just a few minutes ago, smiling and laughing, gesturing wildly as she went on about the best book she'd read in years. That had been a girl he could really see himself connecting with. She was smart and fun and even a little bit silly, but in the best way possible. But not this girl. This girl had intimidating written all over her. This version of Bella that had magically appeared in his mind when she'd spoken so innocently about charity would never be someone who could understand him.

He was seconds away from getting good and worked up when he felt Bella reach over and take the pen he was still busy drumming away with out of his hand.

_You Ok?_

She used his pen to write on a page in the back of her notebook, angling it so that he'd see. He shook his head to answer, refusing to make eye contact. He was embarrassed by how much this bothered him but he wouldn't lie about it.

_What happened?_

He didn't answer at all this time, just continued staring straight ahead.

A few more seconds had passed when Edward felt her gently place the pen back in his hand.

"Please." she whispered quietly.

When he looked down again he could see that she'd written the request as well.

What did she really want him to say? Sorry, I just noticed that reading preferences aside there is absolutely nothing that you and I could ever have in common.

He could never see himself being so blunt, but at the same time he didn't know how to explain it any other way. She was a smart person, couldn't she see for herself how odd it was for her to have any interest in befriending someone like him.

His mind made up, he reached for the notebook and slid it closer to himself. There was no way to really explain everything he needed to say in writing so he went with the only other option.

_Are you busy after school today?_

Bella's expression was confused at best but she shook her head slightly to answer, much the same way he had a moment ago.

He knew he was being cryptic and if anyone were to read these little messages they could interpret them a million different ways, but he wanted some time to think and he needed to talk to her once he had.

_I think we should talk about a few things_.

Bella reached for his pen again and Edward watched as her flowing script appeared just below his pitifully formed chicken scratch-just another of the many obvious differences they shared in his mind.

_Would you like to meet somewhere? You can call me. Or I could follow you to your h_

Edward pulled the pen from her fingers before she even finished writing this time.

_No phone_.

Bella hesitated briefly and Edward knew he'd either made his point or pissed her off as he let the pen drop against the now cluttered page of writing; either way perhaps she'd finally see at least part of what had been bothering him.

There weren't anymore notes after that, and Bella remained stoically still and silent for the rest of class. Edward was brutally aware of every second that passed from that moment until the bell sounded, during which time he analyzed his current situation from every angle and then reimagined a dozen other ways that this day could have gone. In the end he knew that this was maybe for the best, because he could see now that he had foolishly allowed himself to get too close, to hope for too much.

Last night he had stayed up until midnight struggling to keep his eyes open long enough to finish his book. And this morning he'd awakened an hour before he would ordinarily have to so that he could reread the ending. It was all in an effort to impress Bella-he couldn't deny that. But in his mind it was just a way to say thank you for buying him such a thoughtful gift. What he hadn't counted on was his own enthusiasm getting in the way.

When he and Alice had arrived at school this morning Bella was already there and busy climbing out of her truck. As he pulled to a stop in the space next to her, he didn't exactly understand the urge that had come over him. Before he could comprehend why, he was outside standing next to his car, smiling at her from across the way. When she noticed and look in his direction he'd held up his copy of the novel and dropped it on the roof of the Volvo.

"Absolutely brilliant ending." He declared.

"You finished?" Her whole face brightened at the discovery.

"Now _I_ can't wait to talk about it either." He agreed.

"Lunch. I will totally see you at lunch." She promised rushing away with a wave and a smile for Alice.

There was some hurried explanation about having to get to the media room before morning announcements and then she was gone. He and Alice had wandered off in different directions after that, but Edward had been elated by her response.

Elation was now the furthest thing from his mind. When the bell finally rang it seemed as if Bella was out of her seat and through the door before he even had a chance to look up. He hated the idea that he might have ruined something by being so sensitive to what he felt sure was just an innocent comment. He'd really wanted to talk to her-explain things, since writing down such a long and complex story in the back of her biology notebook didn't seem right, but now what could he do. His temper had interfered and he didn't even know if she'd be willing to listen at this point.

Dejected, he reached back to grab his bag, but before he got the strap over his shoulder he noticed a scrap of paper sticking out of the side pocket.

_Don't have any idea what's going on, but I'm sorry. Please meet me whenever you can this afternoon. I'll be at this address_.

"Mr. Cullen, did you need something?"

His head snapped up at the sound of his teacher's voice making him realize that he was the last person in the room. He mumbled an apology and made his way towards the door, head down still staring at the paper in his hands. He didn't know how long he'd been standing there studying the note and the address she'd left for him, but he knew that he wouldn't make the same mistake twice. Although he was pleased to see that she still wanted to talk, he knew that if he could find the courage to meet her and tell her the truth, whatever type of friendship or relationship they'd be able to have from here on out would change. He liked Bella, and it should have made him feel better that at least she was still curious enough to want to hear him out, but he hated the idea of disappointing her.

With that in mind, the anticipation of their meeting made the remainder of his day drag on forever. Edward had gone back and forth all afternoon about how he should handle this, and time and time again he'd come up with the same solution. He had to apologize, but more importantly he had to be honest. What was far more difficult to figure out was how he could possibly explain any of this to Alice. Whatever would happen between he and Bella, he didn't want to mess up his sister's chances of remaining her friend. Just because he was stubborn and grumpy, and apparently still hung up on the fact that he hadn't had more than five dollars in his pocket at any given time over the past year shouldn't reflect poorly on her.

"So...you and Bella sure seemed friendly today." Alice teased immediately upon opening the passenger door of his car.

Edward sighed heavily, not at all in the mood to address such things so soon. Even had the day ended on a better note he still wouldn't be comfortable talking about this. Now he had to decide what, if anything, he could say that wouldn't give her the wrong impression before he knew exactly how his pending talk with Bella would go over.

_May as well start being honest now_.

"She's easy to talk to."

Concentrating on backing up, he didn't bother to look in her direction and hoped that his tone was casual enough. He had to play it safe and keep his response vague or he knew that she'd see right though him. She'd been there during lunch and he knew what it must have looked like. Even Mike, though he was already convinced that something was going on, had felt the need to comment on their interaction. Denying it would only fuel more questions he didn't want to answer, but showing her any indication that things had gone downhill from there would be even worse.

"You know if you're worried that it might bother me, you don't have to be. I told you before how cool Bella is, and I think it'd be nice to see you happy for a change even if it meant that I'd have to share a friend."

He struggled with that one for a minute. He wanted to promise that he could be happy without a girl, but he thought she might take his saying so the wrong way. Then he wondered if he should just accept the offer and hope that it might end their discussion, but he knew her better than that.

"I guess we'll see how it goes." He decided to keep things vague and then change the subject.

"Listen, Emmett gave me the address of a place he found that sells salvaged building supplies and I was gonna go over there this afternoon and see if I could pick up some stuff for this weekend. Dad wrote a list of things he felt like we'd need."

_So much for that honesty thing_.

"So, you want to ride or you want me to drop you off first."

He knew his sister well enough to know that she'd never chose the first option. He'd tried a few times taking her along when he'd go looking for parts for his car back when he'd first gotten it and she'd hated walking around while he sifted through piles of old dirty junk.

"Umm, no. You can drop me off if you don't mind. I've actually got a lot of homework today. One of my teachers is insisting I play catch up on this ongoing project they'd assigned like a month ago..."

Edward knew he was off the hook when she'd proceeded to go on and on complaining about all of the extra work she had ahead of her now and how unfair it seemed. At least now he could get out of the house for a while without her wondering what he was up to. He did have a list from their dad of some things to buy for the weekend so he'd go ahead and get those while he was out and save himself the trouble of any further explanation after he got home.

Plan in place he dropped Alice off in front of their house and pulled away before he could change his mind. He didn't want to make Bella wait for him and he also knew that the more time he allowed himself to think the more likely he was to chicken out.

Hoping to make good time and get this over with, Edward pulled into a service station just outside of their neighborhood. He wasn't familiar with the area yet and he didn't have the benefit of a cell phone or GPS to help him find this address he was going to. He could do things the old fashioned way and break out a map but that would take too long, so the alternative was asking directions. Once he had a better idea of where he was headed he got back into the car, pleased that it seemed to be nearby at least.

He traveled to a small business district outside of the downtown area that seemed to exist because of the suburbs. Once Edward made his way in that direction he could see that all manner of shops and restaurants lined the streets. It was on a much grander scale than Port Angeles but it felt somewhat similar anyway. Following the directions carefully and checking the storefronts for numbers, Edward finally located his destination and sure enough he recognized Bella's truck already parked against the curb out front.

_Here goes nothing,_ he encouraged himself before going inside_._


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Many thanks to all of you who have found this story and seem to be enjoying it so far!

Chapter 4

Of all the places she could have suggested, Edward was amused to see that she'd decided they should meet at a bookstore. It seemed a little ironic, since the thing they were actually beginning to bond over was reading, and yet here he was ready to point out every other thing that they didn't have in common. Still, he appreciated the fact that he'd feel comfortable here.

"I'm glad you came." She mentioned immediately when he found her sitting alone in the little coffee shop at the back. "You want anything?" He shook his head and sat down across from her, noticing right away how nervous she seemed. He hated that his behavior from earlier today was probably the cause, but he kept reminding himself that this was for the best. Whether he told her everything now or let her discover the truth from someone else later the result would be the same. Because he liked Bella, he didn't want there to be any cause for future misunderstandings. She deserved the truth even if it would be difficult for him to admit what he'd come here to say.

Hoping to collect his thoughts before jumping into the issues he needed to discuss, he took a second and looked around at their surroundings. This was type of place you'd see on television or in a movie, but the type of place a kid from Forks could only dream about. It was a huge two level space that was open in the middle allowing you to see the top floor from down below. The coffee shop they were seated in was at the back and allowed for a good view of the rest of the place, which was filled with colorful bookshelves and comfortable looking furniture. On the walls all manner of art was on display, making for a funky, eclectic atmosphere. And though Edward had declined her offer when he'd arrived, his mouth was actually watering thanks to all of the delicious smells around them.

"This place is pretty awesome." He commented, not knowing exactly how else to start.

What had been shaping up as the best day he'd had in a very long time had fallen into a downward spiral based solely on his inability to accept that a girl like Bella would want to have any association with a guy like him, if she knew just how poor his family was. Now it was time to make her aware of everything she didn't know and see where that might leave them. As a result, Edward was feeling about two inches tall. He knew it would be best to get this over with-thank Bella for being so kind and leave it at that, but he selfishly wanted just a few more minutes to pretend that it didn't really matter.

"I come here when I want to relax. They've got really great coffee and it's quiet...good place to think, you know."

He could definitely see her point, and that made this even more difficult. As much as he'd like to he shouldn't avoid his purpose any longer. Bella was still being so nice to him, still acting as if he hadn't taken a complete one-eighty in the personality department this afternoon and he couldn't take it anymore. He didn't want to take up more of her time than he should and he didn't want to ruin a place she liked so much with memories of anything awkward or unpleasant.

"So I should start by saying I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you and know asking to meet like this out of the blue was maybe a little weird."  
He could see that she was starting to relax a little, obviously pleased that he was willing to finally address the real reason for them being here. It encouraged him to keep talking even though he was scared to death of admitting what he'd come to say. He didn't want to mess things up for Alice and he didn't want to lose the privilege of talking to this wonderful girl. Still, being honest was the most important thing.  
"I just sort of freaked out a little when you mentioned the whole Habitat thing. I don't know if Alice has said anything, or if maybe you'd figured out after seeing our place last night, but my parents have had it kind of rough recently."

He paused allowing her to absorb what he was trying to say, hoping that the lump in his throat could maybe go away while he waited. He was well aware of how upsetting it was whenever he had to really think about what all they'd been through, especially when he had to think about how people tended to react when they'd learn of their problems, but he didn't want to seem weak right now. Bella deserved her explanation and he wanted to be honest without making her feel sorry for them. That in mind, he proceeded to go through the quickest but most thorough recap he could manage of the events that had lead to his family moving here.

"I know you probably didn't mean anything, and I mean I was the one to ask in the first place, but I guess I'm just really sensitive about the whole situation. People tend to be either really rude about it all, or they go the other way and act all nice like we need some sort of pity..."

"Edward," Bella had politely interrupted. He figured that she'd been wondering what he would want to talk about when she'd suggested they meet here, and that there would be a few questions; plus he still wasn't sure he was making enough sense for her to really understand, but something in her tone made him pause and allow her time to speak.  
"You don't have to explain anything." The kindness in her voice was unmistakable and Edward appreciated that, but he also feared what was coming next. He didn't need or want her sympathy. Hadn't he just finished explaining...

"You know who my Dad is, right?" That gave him even more reason to pause. He had no idea why she would bring something like that up at a time like this, but once his silence confirmed that he was aware she continued and Edward could hardly believe his ears.

"Charles Swan IV, mayor of Phoenix, Arizona, son of Governor Swan, grandson of the late Senator Swan, and all around pain in my ass. Every single person in this city, and most of the state for that matter, knows who he is and therefore they think they know me."

He sat and listened to her describe growing up in such a high-profile family and how people often judged her based on what they thought they knew. She spoke of childhood friends being nothing more than spoil kids of other affluent families that were introduced to her through arranged play dates, and how as she'd gotten older and wiser she'd notice how they had absolutely nothing in common.

"They just wanted to be able to say they'd been to the mayor's house and that they'd met my family. No one cared what I was interested in, or what I wanted to talk about, they just wanted some association with me for the prestige they imagined would go along with it."

After she'd given him a few more details she looked right at him to make sure he was paying attention and he noticed her sit up a little bit straighter.

"Edward, I know that there is no way for me to compare my situation to yours that won't sound stupid, but what I'm trying to say is that I get it. Nobody wants to be judged by circumstances that are out of your control. We can't chose the life that we are born into or what we have to deal with as a result. And please believe me when I say that while I do have sympathy for anyone in your situation I would never judge you, or Alice, or your parents for that matter, because of it. What you're dealing with...with people and their opinions, I do know what that's like, probably more than you'd ever guess. It's just from the other end of the spectrum so to speak."

The cynical side of him wanted to say something scathing such as, 'Spoken like a true politian. Must run in the family,' but Edward couldn't deny that he was floored by what she'd just said. In his heart he'd heard real emotion and real pain as she spoke about being taken advantage of because of who her parents were and he actually felt like maybe she did understand, at least a little bit. No one looked at her as just another teenager. Instead all they saw was money and position. She was right, her problems were from the other end of the spectrum, but they weren't all that different. Edward couldn't count the number of times he'd felt people look his way and see nothing more than that poor Cullen kid, assuming that he was different based on nothing more than his parents' lack of money.

They were both silent for a moment wondering what else to say now that so much was out in the open.

"You don't get along with your dad so much?" Edward eventually broke the silence by wondering about the one thing she'd mentioned that didn't seem to make obvious sense to him.

"Don't agree with him all the time is more like it." Bella chuckled a bit at what he'd actually chosen to question her about.

"How about you? Alice talks about your parents like they get on really well."

"No, she's right. My folks are great. It's just been hard recently. They want more for us, and we don't want to ask for anything and that makes it a little awkward at times."

Bella nodded like she really did understand and Edward finally smiled for the first time since biology. He decided that she deserved a little more credit than he'd initially been willing to grant her. He'd known all along that she was pleasant and kind, but based on the type of people he'd come across since having to deal with his family's declining financial status he'd been too quick to assume that she'd be just like the rest of them once she learned the truth. If an average person was happy to judge and make accusations as to why you have so little than what else should he expect from someone who'd been born into such privilege. Bella had surprised him though, and it gave him the courage to tell her more.

They found themselves sitting and chatting for the better part of an hour, while Edward explained in more detail how things had gone from bad to worse leading up to his parents' decision to relocate here. He touched on how everyone was trying to pitch in, taking part-time or summer jobs when they could and how his brother had been delaying his start in college. He mentioned that the public library was their only source for internet access, and while his father had a prepaid phone so that there would be a number to put on applications and other documents, it was strictly used for emergencies and incoming calls, in order to save the minutes. He wanted her to understand just how bad it really was, but he also wanted her to see that they were finding ways to make it work. They were struggling for sure, but they were surviving.

Bella listened and asked questions but just as she'd promised she never let on that his family's situation was anything she'd hold against him. Instead she expressed admiration for his parent's ingenuity and perseverance, and the fact that his family seemed so eager to work together and take care of one another.

With Edward's prompting, wanting to know more about her as well, Bella conversely described her dislike for the way people seemed so hung up on completely unnecessary luxuries these days. He learned that while she had a cell phone she never used it accept when she was required to check in with her mother. The truck she drove was her sweet sixteen present from her dad-a compromise over his insistence that it be new and safe and her mother's original choice of something ridiculous and convertible.

"They were going to buy me a car one way or another, so it was easier to beg for something practical than to leave them up to their own devices and wind up with something that would just make people roll there eyes and gawk at me even more than they already do."

He actually laughed when she continued by gesturing to her overall appearance, and informed him that her current state was enough to make people roll their eyes and grumble.  
"What do you mean? You look...normal enough." He had to be careful not to say anything more descriptive thanks to his overwhelming sense of relief. He was so pleased by how accepting she was and how eager she seemed to talk things over with him that he could easily see himself telling her just how wonderful he thought she was.

"Exactly! But jeans and sandals and concert T's don't go with afternoon luncheons and state dinner parties. Sometimes I feel like I live at freakin Downton Abbey, having to change for dinner all the time. I just want to sit on the couch and eat a sandwich or some cereal occasionally, not entertain a bunch of stuffy old people."

"Hey, I like Downton Abbey." Edward was laughing at both her rant, and his own surprisingly defensive tone.

"You like Downton Abbey?" Now he laughed at her shocked expression.

"Basic TV." He shrugged. "With only five channels you get stuck watching what's on. It's actually pretty good if you give it a chance."

That led them into more discussion about their preferences for many other things, until Bella decided that it was finally time to show Edward around her favorite bookshop. He was happy to wait while she went up to the counter, presumably to pay for the coffee she'd had while they were talking, but when she returned with two more steaming cups, Edward felt the need to protest. At the risk of embarrassing himself he'd just described in detail all that he'd had to learn to do without over the past year, and the fact that he couldn't afford much of anything, let alone the type of things most people would take for granted. As happy as he'd been with her overall acceptance, it was disappointing that somehow she still felt like it wouldn't irritate him if she were to try and spend money on him.

"Bella, really. I don't need..."

"I know, I know. Please don't be mad. It's just that friends shouldn't let friends drink the best cappuccino in Phoenix alone; so I seriously need you to be that friend that keeps people from assuming that I've developed an unhealthy caffeine addiction. My mom will put me in rehab and my dad will have to make a statement and next thing you know I'll fall into a deep depression that no manner of..."

"Alright, alright." Edward laughed and finally took the offered cup from Bella's outstretched hand. "Just please don't make a habit out of this." Bella nodded happily before hearing his actual reasoning, "I mean nobody likes a drama queen."  
Edward got shoved playfully for his teasing comment and Bella was struggling to hide her laughter as she finally enticed him to follow her up the spiral staircase in the corner.

They had already mutually agreed by then that they both had their fair share of problems and issues to deal with, but they'd also determined that they could still be friends. Edward had promised that he'd let her know from now on if a comment or a situation made him uncomfortable rather than becoming unnecessarily upset. He wanted her to speak freely without fear that she'd inadvertently offend him. And likewise, Bella had insisted that he not think of her as being in a different category just because of her name. She was tired of people putting her up on a pedestal or tip-toeing around like they'd be in trouble if they didn't act a certain way. She just wanted to be a normal teenager and have a few friends who really understood that. She'd always hoped that Alice would fit that description, and as a bonus she was now certain that Edward would.

"So are we still on for painting Saturday? I think Alice would probably be upset if you bailed on her because of me." Edward was reading the spine of yet another book that Bella had just handed over before checking out the cover flap. They'd finished their drinks, which Bella had correctly named the best in Phoenix, and had already been through science fiction, mystery, and were now looking over the classics. As it turned out, his new friend was a fantastic tour guide and he'd easily lost all track of time up to now. The reason he'd finally asked the question that had been on the tip of his tongue since they'd finally decided that _friends_ could work, was because it was getting late and he still had an errand to run before going home. He needed his cover story for why he was out so long this afternoon and if he was going to accomplish that he'd have to be on his way soon; even if he did find the alternative of staying here with Bella so much more appealing.

It was a combination of little things today that had added up to why Edward was finally feeling so much better about this-why he felt that he could actually accept Bella's offer of friendship and that they could work through any differences they'd notice along the way. It was true that complaints about what car you'd be given and how much you were annoyed by your parents insistence that you look and act a certain way was miles away from the type of problems he'd been made to face, but they still had too much in common to ignore. And with the understanding that each knew far more about the other than they had previously he was pretty confident that he no longer had to be quite as self-conscious around her.

Then there were other things he'd noticed this afternoon. Like her smile, and the way her eyes were so sincere. She had a gentleness about her that couldn't be faked, but also a determination like he'd rarely seen in anyone else. He was very aware of that while he stood watching as she struggled to reach back up to the shelf above her that was just a little too high. She'd answered his question with a yes but continued to stretch and hop and fail miserably at retrieving the book she wanted next. Edward tried not to chuckle as he finally crossed his arms and leaned up against the shelf to wait and see how long it took for her to notice him standing there.

It wasn't the first time he'd caught himself admiring her this afternoon. She'd spoken passionately about the things she disliked and lovingly about things she felt worthy of pursuing. She seemed like the type that could talk herself into or out of anything if she felt strongly about it. She didn't even shy away from the fact that he'd been trying his best to make her see all the negatives of having a friend like him. She instead argued for all of the positives that he hadn't been capable of seeing, and he really liked that.

As luck would have it, it didn't take but another second or two for her to end the struggle with a huff of annoyance and accept defeat. When she turned to find him standing much closer to her than she'd expected Edward smiled at her startled expression. With her acceptance he had discovered a newfound comfort level, which in turn gave him a sense of confidence that he didn't quite understand; now, when he realized that he was probably about to start flirting with her again, he was pretty sure that he wouldn't mind if she noticed this time.

Without saying a word, he pushed away from his position leaning against the shelf and moved to stand behind her. "Which one?" he simply asked, not realizing before it had happened that his voice would sound so deep or husky.

"Bronte." She replied quietly without moving a muscle.  
Edward reached up and pulled the book she'd been after from its place on the shelf and held it down in front of her. If she'd lean back just a fraction of an inch her entire body would be against him and Edward was suddenly aware that he would be perfectly okay with that.

_Friends, friends, just friends..._

Closing his eyes and taking a breath he tried and failed to regain his composure. He'd been hoping for playful and light and he'd somehow jumped into something he didn't even have a good word to describe. He couldn't handle it if he were to frighten her away now, after all they'd already been through today.

"I don't think I want to, but I really need to go."

"Are you sure you can't stay?" She never looked up or turned around, and he might have been dreaming but he was sure he could hear something besides basic disappointment in her voice.

"I have another errand and I need to be home for dinner tonight. It's the first evening my mom's not had to work all week." Why he was practically whispering he couldn't say, but Bella had finally turned slightly and was smilingly shyly in his direction, so why should it matter.

"I'm planning on at least two chapters tonight." Was all she said, and Edward nodded his understanding before taking a reluctant step back.

"I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Hey, Edward." She called after him as he turned to leave her. When he turned back she was hugging the book he'd retrived for her and did that thing where she tucked a bit of hair behind her ear before continuing. "Thanks for meeting me here. I was pretty scared you wouldn't come, but I'm really happy you did."

"Me too." He honestly agreed.  
Standing there looking down at his feet Edward hesitated for an extra second wondering what else he could say, unfortunately everything that came to mind was better off being said at another time. So with another half-smile, he finally turned to leave and shoved his hands into his pockets as he went.

If this trend became something he could count on, one day he and Bella would finally talk about more than books and family and what sort of coffee drinks they liked. When that day arrived Edward would tell her how much he liked her smile and how pretty her eyes were. He would tell her how much he wanted to do things for her, even if it was simply reaching a book that had been placed to high up on a shelf. When that day came he wouldn't walk away with his head down and his hands in his pockets, because hopefully he would be walking somewhere _with_ her instead. It was wishful thinking in his mind, but she had calmed so many of his fears and misconceptions that he was now willing to dream about what he'd been refusing to even consider before.

_Friends...for now._


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Friday afternoon had finally arrived and though Edward was surprisingly pleased with how his first week of school had gone he was thrilled that it was almost over. Fridays in general had become an important day for Edward some time ago. It was the end of the school week, but more importantly it was his moment to escape. Whether he was going to spend his weekend catching up on sleep, or working long hours at any one of the jobs he'd taken back home, he'd always preferred the time away from curious stares and overhearing comments he'd rather not have any knowledge of.

At the start of this week, his focus had been on making it through the awkward meetings and questions that would no doubt surface; hoping that after the novelty of he and Alice's arrival wore off that he could settle in and become just another anonymous face in the crowd. Every day he could make it through was another day closer to the moment that he could get away from so many people and their inevitable judgements. Now he had a slightly different outlook, and that had everything to do with the girl making her way in his direction.

"Hey, don't go anywhere this afternoon until I get to see you." Bella never hesitated to reach out and touch his arm, as if she would need to physically stall him even though he was just standing at his locker switching out books before he made his way to the gym and his final class of the day.

"Anything wrong?" He wondered, refusing to move and risk severing their connection.

"Nope." Was all she said before moving on with a smile that warmed his heart.

Edward watched her go and felt himself smile as well. Since their afternoon spent at the bookstore their friendship had been making steady progress. Bella always made a point of speaking whenever they'd see one another throughout the day. Their walk to Biology together after lunch had become common place; just like their standing agreement to read at least two chapters of the novel they were working on each night, so that they could compare impressions in the parking lot before the first bell.

Alice, for her part in all of this, had been wonderful. She'd already indicated that she wanted to see her brother happy again and that she believed Bella could play a role in making that happen; now she was playing her own part in their friendship's success. In the mornings or during lunch she never begrudged Edward and Bella time to discuss whatever they'd like, even if her own interest in the subject might be minimal. Edward was always willing to let the girls have time to talk about whatever they wanted to, so it would seem that she was pleased to repay the courtesy. And while Edward was pleased that she kept her opinions and observations to herself when they were all together it was obvious that she was talking him up to Bella whenever the opportunity arose. Bella was full of questions lately, about things that only Alice would have been able to prompt her curiosity about.

"Edward, hey Edward!"

_If only that girl had a volume control-or an off switch._

He'd obviously become too distracted by his thoughts to realize he was busy being stalked on his way to the gym.

"So...you and Bella..."

Jessica was barking up the wrong tree if she thought he'd give her the satisfaction of a confirmation or denial. She wasn't the only person to assume that something was going on thanks to the amount of time he seemed to be around Bella lately, but she was one of the few that were bold enough to ask about it. Fortunately for him most of the others were willing to just leave well enough alone and mind their own business, which happily included the majority of his former admirers.

"Did you need something?" He asked instead of acknowledging her desire to pry.

"Oh. Well, since you asked, I was wondering if you had plans for this weekend."

"Yep, with the family. We're still settling into our new place."  
It wasn't a lie and it wasn't as rude as completely ignoring her the way he would have preferred. Still, he had no interest in even entertaining whatever alternative she had in mind.

"Didn't you guys hire movers to do that stuff for you?"  
Edward felt his skin crawl at the tone in her voice. It made controlling his own that much more difficult, but perhaps a little reality check was in order.

"Why would we do a thing like that? It's a complete waste of money."  
He'd been hoping to put an end to their discussion, and if his snapped response made her uncomfortable enough to finally leave him alone that was all the better in his opinion. Unfortunately, Jessica wasn't so easily swayed.

"Wouldn't let Bella hear you say anything like that. She's always been too good for anyone around here, and we all know its because none of us have the kind of money she's use to. Whether you think it's a waste or not you'd better be willing to spend some bank if you're gonna keep that one happy."

Edward was in danger of losing it. Of all the girls who had tried to gain his attention this week, Jessica had always been the most persistent and the most annoying. He was now convinced that along with all of her other faults she must be blind as well. Not only did she have the wrong idea about Bella and what was important to her, but she seemed to think that making her seem shallow in his eyes would somehow improve her chances. That and she'd just followed him right into the boys locker room, distracted as she was by her desire to talk about things she had no understanding of.

"Look."  
He'd spun around to face her and even caught himself reaching out to grasp her upper arm. He didn't want to make a big issue out of his friendship with Bella and at this point he would never want to give the wrong impression, but he couldn't stand there and let this one go. She had no right to talk about anyone that way, least of all Bella; but before he could set the record straight another voice interrupted them.

"Jessica, sweetheart, come to have a look at what you've been missing out on?"

Edward had already reigned in the urge to physically shake some sense into her and he managed to relax his posture just as easily once she was made aware of their surroundings; unfortunately he was still thoroughly irritated when she did nothing more than giggle and back out of the room, as if losing track of their surroundings was her only mistake.

_She's gone, it's over, she's an idiot._

Edward wanted a moment to breathe and hopefully relax, but his unexpected savior wasn't in the mood to allow him that privilege.

"You my friend, just made my entire week."

"Shut up, Mike." He growled, slamming his bag down and yanking his shirt off in frustration.

Emmett was the athlete of the family and he was by far the more aggressive personality, but right now Edward was dying for an excuse to hit something. Unfortunately for him badminton, a little racket and a tiny plastic shuttlecock, didn't exactly offer the type of stress relief he was hoping for. The fact that Mike did seem to get the memo and managed to leave him alone for the remainder of the day was a plus however. And even better was the sight of Bella waiting for him as he exited the gym.

"I'm glad to see you too."  
Bella's cheerful comment made him understand that his relief must be evident. He didn't want to have to explain how frustrated he'd become since last seeing her, and how it was directly related to the type of negative perception their peers seemed to have about the both of them. Jessica had confirmed everything Bella had been complaining about the other day and he refused to be the bearer of such news.

"You didn't have to track me down like I was going to try and escape." His teasing turned into the perfect excuse to avoid any further conversation about what a terrible poker face he possessed. Still he wasn't prepared for the subject matter that took its place.

"Maybe I just wanted to be nice and run some interference for you."

"What are you talking about?"

"I see how many vultures have been following you around all week. I mean if you enjoy that sort of thing or whatever..."

"Umm no. Feel free to save me anytime." He laughed and even went so far as to casually lay his arm across her shoulders as they got headed towards the parking lot. He was hoping that his poker face in this situation was at least a little better, since he wasn't sure exactly what had gotten into him. Perhaps it was the relief of finally being free and able to regroup over the weekend. It might have also had something to do with his appreciation of her skilled observations and willingness to help, but in the end he knew that it was simply because he wanted to.

_Friends can do this sort of thing...can't they_?

They hadn't been truly alone since that afternoon at the bookstore and Edward had worried initially that the unintentional way he'd ended their meeting might have been ill-advised. He never wanted to overstep his bounds where Bella was concerned, but she had been nothing but kind and friendly as usual since then. With no lingering awkwardness to dissuade him, Edward was curious to see how some casual familiarity might go over with her. It was a risk, still surrounded by their classmates, but if he'd worried that she would feel uncomfortable under the circumstances all doubts were erased when he felt her arm come around his waist, hooking her thumb through one of his belt loops.

"So, I know you've got to get going so you can pass the car off to your mom, but I wanted to run something by you before Alice gets here." Bella had turned to face him and crossed her arms once they'd reached their cars and their semi-embrace had ended. Edward scowled a bit when he noticed a small group walking by not even attempt to hide their shocked scrutiny. "We've talked off and on for the past few days and she really wants me to spend the night at your place so that we can get an early start tomorrow."

Edward felt his body stiffen and more importantly he also noticed that Bella had anticipated his reaction.

"I really want to, Edward, but if you're not comfortable with it I understand. I can totally come up with an excuse for Alice."

"No, Bella please don't do that." Edward sighed.

After their talk the other day he'd had a good feeling about Bella, like she really did understand him, and her concern was more than enough validation to prove that she did. Then again he didn't want his issues and insecurities to interfere with her and his sister's relationship. Bella had been nothing but wonderful to both of them and she deserved his trust.

"Alice is probably right, and I know she'd love to have you over." Her smile never faded, even when he reminded her about Emmett.

"I told you already, I like different." She grinned.

He was informed that she was going to drag Alice home with her so that her mom could meet her and okay the overnight stay and that he should hurry up so his mother didn't have to wait for him.

After that his drive home seemed easier than usual, but that might have had something to do with his preoccupation. He was being very honest with Bella when he said that Alice would be thrilled to have her over. He was also being honest with himself when he determined that she deserved his trust. And if he wanted to continue with the honesty he should also point out how intrigued he was to have Bella in his home, staying overnight, interacting with the rest of his family. Honestly, it fascinated him and terrified him all at once.

"Hey Mom, Alice told you she's invited someone over tonight?"  
It wasn't the warm type of greeting he would have preferred but it allowed him to go ahead and address what was on his mind.

"She did. Bella, I believe is her name. She sounds like a lovely girl and it seems that she's even volunteered to help with some of the painting tomorrow."

"Yeah no, Bella is great." Edward had to backtrack just a hair when he saw something spark in his mother's eyes. "I just wanted to make sure she asked permission, ya know; I actually heard about it from Bella, not Alice, so it seemed a little strange to me."

"Edward," His mother chuckled a bit after tossing her bag into the passenger seat of his awaiting car. "Alice is very aware of what our house looks like right now-we all are. I'm sure she didn't want you to try talking her out of it is all."

He hated how right his mother's assessment likely was, but he knew that he'd done nothing until very recently to make anyone think differently of him and his usual opinions. He'd even hesitated earlier when Bella had run their tentative plans by him, automatically looking for some reason why it might be better if she didn't come. So he shouldn't be surprised. But in the end he hadn't wanted to interfere. He already knew that Bella was going to come over on the following day, so what difference would in make whether she stayed overnight or just for a few hours. And maybe, just maybe, the feel of her arm being around him had helped to make up his mind. Either way his current mood was one of excitement rather than dread, which was completely out of the norm for him.

With a kiss to his cheek and a few instructions his mother was on her way, leaving him to have the house to himself for a little while. He was glad for that because it meant he had an opportunity to clean up a bit before the girls arrived. It wasn't that the house was dirty or that much was out of place thanks to their having been in it for just over a week, but he still wanted to check and make sure that Emmett hadn't left his boxers on the floor somewhere or made a mess of the bathroom this morning. He also wanted a shower and to get a small amount of homework he had this weekend out of the way if possible. It wasn't like Bella was his guest per se, but he still wanted to be available if she and Alice were to indicate a need for his company tonight. With that in mind he headed upstairs to the bathroom first.

Showered and refreshed in record time, Edward went into the room he was sharing with his brother for the time being to get dressed and was surprised to find Emmett already home.

"Hey, you're home early." He expressed his first thought to greet him.  
His second thought was that he was thankful he'd thought to throw on some underwear and a t-shirt while still in the bathroom, since walking around in a towel wasn't a good idea with his brother around. If the comments didn't annoy you enough the fact that your towel would be missing the moment you forgot to hang on to it definitely would.

"Yep, gonna take an extra shift on Sunday afternoon and do a double on Monday so they offered to let me leave early today to have a little more weekend."

Edward listened to the explanation as he rummaged through the closet looking for some jeans to put on. Ordinarily he'd throw on some old clothes that he could happily destroy with paint and dirt, but today he wanted a break from that. Today he was more interested in being just a normal teenager relaxing at home on a Friday afternoon. And it didn't take long for Emmett to notice.

"Didn't want to get an early start?"

"Alice has company coming over tonight." He hoped that would be enough information, but with Emmett the basics were never enough.

"Do tell...male or female? Please tell me it's a chick. Do I need to kill someone?"

_I swear if he does anything to freak Bella out..._

"Calm down. Her name's, Bella and she's really a nice girl, so behave yourself tonight please. Alice is pretty attached to her already."

"And you've got the hots for her." Emmett's smile was as devious as ever and against his will, Edward felt his face turning redder by the second.

"Whatever."  
He knew it was the wrong thing to say, but he couldn't confirm his feelings for Bella in Emmett's presence any easier than he could if he were all alone and talking to himself.

"It's about time little brother." Edward got a congratulatory pounding against his back that made him want to cough. "She's pretty, yeah? And you said she's nice; but she's smart and funny and all that too? She's a good girl? I don't feel like going to jail over some chick, but if she's not good enough for you..."

"Oh for God's sake, Emmett! Did you overdose on your steroids this morning or what? Just sit down for a second."

He was like a puppy hopping around chasing his tail all of a sudden.

"All natural my friend." He was flexing, showing off, and still grinning, but he did at least sit down.

"Look, I don't know what gave you the impression..."

"You showered in the middle of the day, you aren't obsessed suddenly with spending every free moment of your life completely rebuilding the house, you smell better than usual..."

"If you do anything, and I mean anything, to make Bella uncomfortable you had better never plan on sleeping again."

"Best behavior, I swear. And trust me, if you really like her I'm totally on board and happy for ya."

"I do like her Emmett, but we're just friends. That's it.

"For now."

Edward threw his hands up in the air and turned to leave the room. He'd never win this type of debate with his brother, especially since he'd already been able to see right through him.

_I really have to work on my poker face._

"So, when will they be here?"

Edward was only on the fifth step headed down the stairs when Emmett magically appeared over his shoulder, still in the mood to ask too many questions. He couldn't have waited more than a second before jumping up to follow him.

"Have no idea." He grunted in response, just as they reached the bottom step.

Even though he didn't know how to answer Emmett's inquiry he didn't really have to. As soon as the two of them rounded the corner Alice and Bella were coming in through the front door. And naturally, despite his promise not five minutes before, Emmett couldn't contain his usual personality.

"Well, hello legs!"

Edward wanted to curl into himself and disappear, or possibly die, he wasn't about to be picky at the moment; but instead he turned around and smacked his brother across the back of his head. He hadn't missed the fact that Bella was wearing a pair of shorts that made her legs look absolutely amazing, but there was still no need for an announcement.

"You must be Emmett." Bella laughed with an ease that made Edward stall his murderous plot.

"That's me. And you must be Bella." Emmett turned on the charm and his mega-watt smile, taking Bella's hand and bowing slightly.

_Why did he have to be the one with the dimples?_

Edward had never been jealous of his brother's success with women. He'd had more than his fair share of females express an interest in him, but he'd never really appreciated or returned any of their affection. It made him realize that as much as he'd like to deny it, Bella really did mean more to him than he was ready to admit.

"Can you guys give a hand? We raided the pantry at Bella's and you wouldn't believe the junk food we were able to score."

Amazingly Emmett's smile got even brighter and the next thing Edward knew he was professing his love to Bella and her Doritos.

"I'm going to kill him." He grumbled to Alice as Emmett hooked his arm around Bella's and formally escorted her back outside. He could actually over hear the fool's excited exclamation when he caught sight of her truck parked in the driveway even with the door closed.

"It's fine. Bella can handle him. And if he gets too stupid acting we'll just remind him that he's nineteen, which means high school girls are officially jail-bait for him."

Edward couldn't help but smile at his sister's calm logic but he still hated that Bella had to deal with Emmett, period. In fact he was so out of sorts by the way their introductions had gone that he didn't even know what to do with himself right now. Should he go outside and offer to help? Or just go back up the stairs and hideout in his room?

As luck would have it Bella returned without Emmett and informed everyone that he'd be a few minutes since he was still busy drooling over her car.

"I am so sorry about him..." Edward started to apologize only to have Bella come and put her arm around him like she'd done earlier in the day.

"It's fine." She promised, not even caring that Alice had raised an eyebrow at how comfortable their proximity seemed.

"Come on, Alice said you guys have a DVD player so we brought a bunch of movies too. You get to pick since we couldn't decide."

"Hey Ed," Emmett called right as the three of them started towards the livingroom. "Let me borrow you for two seconds."

Edward reluctantly glanced down at Bella and took his arm from around her shoulders to go and find his brother. He didn't want to let Bella go, and he didn't want to leave Alice alone with her suddenly and risk her being interrogated. But he did want a moment to beat some sense into his other sibling.

"Why don't you show Bella around and I'll go kick Emmett." He smiled before leaving the girls.

"Dude, dude. Oh my God dude! I approve!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" He was back to his puppy phase, practically bouncing up and down with excitement.

"Bella. She's awesome man!"

"You just met her like three minutes ago." Edward pointed out with his arms crossed.

"And?"

"How do you know anything about her?"

"She's hot, and drives that incredible truck outside, and brought M&Ms and popcorn for crap's sake!"

"Whatever, just try and calm down a little bit; you're acting like a freak."

"If you're not engaged to that girl by the time you graduate you're an idiot."

Edward didn't even dignify that comment with any sort of response other than exiting the room. He'd known from the moment that Bella had mentioned coming over that this would be interesting at best, but he hadn't counted on his brother's level of enthusiasm nor Bella's willingness to be so friendly towards him in front of Alice. He had no doubt that there would be plenty of questions directed his way as soon as Bella went home.

"Hey." Though he'd been hoping to find her there, he was surprised to see her alone in the livingroom flipping through DVD cases. He was also surprised that he actually wanted to slap himself for having the same thoughts that Emmett had recently verbalized, but he could really help it. He'd never seen her in anything but jeans to this point and her legs were pretty amazing.

"Where'd Alice take off to?"

"She just ran upstairs to grab some more choices for movie night, thought they might still be in a box up there."

"She hasn't shown you around yet?"

Edward was mildly confused. He knew they had some movies still packed away but it didn't include anything new or very interesting. Maybe Alice was just looking for some way to contribute. Still, he couldn't understand why she hadn't taken Bella with her. It would be the perfect excuse to show her around.

"She said if she didn't make it back before you got done with Emmett you could give me the tour."

_Or there was that._

Emmett was already making plans for a wedding and now Alice seemed to be finding excuses for them to be alone together. He wasn't sure whether he should be embarrassed or flattered exactly. He did know that he had no idea what to do about that right now, which meant another apology sounded better than nothing.

"Yeah, about Emmett. He's...you know."

"Different." Bella laughed while supplying his usual description. "Don't worry about it, I like him. He's fun." Bella had gotten up from her seat on the sofa and walked over to where Edward was standing near the room's entrance.

"But seriously, I still like your brand of creepy better." He was informed as Bella gave him a little wink and reached out to take his hand, silently begging for that tour.

And in that moment Edward decided that he didn't want to be _just friends_ anymore.


End file.
